Crop Circles : Aliens, People, or Pure Indisputable Science?

Crop circle's creep up in the United Kingdom often, and another was found on July 29 and like with many crop circles, nobody knows who or what created it. Though not a modern phenomenon, farmers and scientists know little about these wonderous works of art.

A crop circle is a flattening of a crop, typically wheat, barley, rye, or maize. They have been documented for more than 40 years, and have possibly been around for longer than that. Cases have been discovered in over 20 countries, mainly in the United Kingdom -- and more specifically in England.

"Circle makers" typically avoiding being caught by working at night. Some believe these odd displays of art and science are not made by earth, or mankind, but come from an extra terrestrial kind.

In July, a crop circle appeared across the field from Stonehenge, an already mysterious place and one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, right up there with the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

Though many people believe that crop circles are made by aliens, or their choice of vehicle (i.e. UFO), others believe they are an act of God, or mankind. Some people, with a more scientific mindeframe believe they spawn from earth's magnetic field and energy. Yet, no one theory has proven how they are made, and it's possible that there are multiple ways to create a crop cirlce.

More than 2,000 different shapes have been recorded, and mathematical analysis has revealed the use of construction lines, invisible to the eye, are used to design the patterns. However, how these circles are created, or who is creating them remains a burning question many would like answered.

Crop circles and physics

In this month's Physics World edition, Richard Taylor, director of the Materials Science Institute at the University of Oregon, states that physics and the arts are grouping together to work toward solving the secrets behind the ever complex crop circles.

According to Taylor, via EurekAlert.org, "physics could potentially hold the answer, with crop-circle artists possibly using the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as lasers and microwaves to create their patterns, dispensing with the rope, planks of wood and bar stools that have traditionally been used."

Microwaves, Taylor suggests, could be used to make crop stalks fall over and cool in a horizontal position -- a technique that could explain the speed and efficiency of the artists and the incredible detail that some crop circles exhibit.

However, Taylor states that "Crop-circle artists are not going to give up their secrets easily. This summer, unknown artists will venture into the countryside close to your homes and carry out their craft, safe in the knowledge that they are continuing the legacy of the most science-oriented art movement in history."

"It may seem odd for a physicist such as Taylor to be studying crop circles," said Matin Durrani, editor of Physics World, "but then he is merely trying to act like any good scientist -- examining the evidence for the design and construction of crop circles without getting carried away by the side-show of UFOs, hoaxes and aliens."

by Buzz60